Argentina out of the basketball World Cup: who is Fabián Borro, the man singled out after the greatest sporting frustration of recent times

Defeat first Dominican Republic who is gone Argentina out of a FIBA World Championship For the first time in 41 years it was a very hard blow that unleashed a shower of criticism on social media, from fans and also from personalities from the world of this sport. And the claims pointed, in their overwhelming majority, to Fabian Borro as one of those responsible for that sporting result and for the worrying present – and future – of Argentine basketball.

Who is Borros? He is the president of the Argentine Basketball Confederationposition reached in December 2019, when, at the head of the list CABB of all and with the support of 14 provincial federations, prevailed in the electoral process against the group led by Federico Subiellesuntil then head of the organization.

The head of the CAB has been at the center of controversy once again after the fall of the team led by Paul Prison last Sunday against the Dominicans, with claims for mismanagement in recent years, which set the stage for Argentina’s elimination. From questions about the appointment of Nestor Garcia as coach of the senior national team – a cycle that ended with a controversial departure from Che in the middle of qualifying and days before the start of America’s Cup 2022-; to complaints about a lack of investment for players to travel to play the qualifying windows and internal grudges over logistical decisions that further rocked the boat. The reproaches against Borro have multiplied in recent days.

The current head of the CAB has a long history as a sports executive. Since 2000 he has been president of Sanitary works. In 2013 he took over the FEDEBAMBA (the federation of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area; of which he was previously a vice president) and in 2014 he became president of the club association (AdC), body that organizes the National League and the Argentine League (formerly TNA). He left those last two posts when he took over the leadership of the national confederation just over three years ago.

He also presided over the South American League and is part of the Competition Commission of International Basketball Federation (FIBA), from where he was one of the main responsible (together with Brazil) for the restructuring of the tournaments. Outside of basketball, he is also director of logistics support for AySAcompany in which he has been working since 1981.

His position at the head of the AdC has been controversial. Why the He was the promoter of the transformation process that generated the decline of the National League, with the increase in the number of teams and the adoption of a format with matches every day; and the idea of ​​broadcasting all matches on a streaming platform. These changes, which never ceased to work or convince, caused the most important national basketball competition to lose prestige, level and popularity.

The short circuit with the Golden Generation

Even his election as president of the CAB did not please everyone. Furthermore, many point to him as the “leader who twisted the arm of the golden generation“. Is that there were many players from that litter who showed their support for Susbielles.

“In a couple of weeks there will be very important elections in our beloved CAB. I sincerely believe so we must support this management who with commitment and honesty has brought us out of very difficult moments. Let’s keep moving forward and pulling everyone in the same direction!” he wrote Emmanuel Ginobili In Chirpingshortly before the meeting that recognized Borro as the new president.

Months before, before Chinese World Cup in which Argentina finished second after losing the final against Spain, louis school He stressed: “From my point of view, no one who was in the previous administration, when the greatest leadership debacle in our history occurred, should come back. If we did, it would be like saying “Nothing Happened Here”. It seems wrong to me.”

What was the then team captain referring to? To the scandal that had ended in April 2014 with the management of German cowherdthen tried for fraudulent administration, disabled for life and forced to pay, in November 2022, 80 thousand dollars to the CABB for the damages caused.

Vaccaro’s farewell – who cited “personal reasons” at the time of his resignation, in the midst of an unsustainable institutional crisis – resulted from public denunciations made by members of the Golden Generation for a series of irregularities that affected the most important organization of national basketball. Borro was Vaccaro’s third president and was left in the midst of the conflict.

“We ask for a profound change, not only on a personal level, but also in the institutional management of the CAB. It is important, it is necessary, it must be done immediately”, said the group in view of the 2014 World Cup in Spain, in a conference in which Ginóbili, Charles Dauphin and Prigioni (player and coach of the team that lost against the Dominican Republic on Sunday) and Scola, who shortly before had warned that if he decides not to play in the World Cup “it will be because of horrendous management”.

Then came the intervention of the CAB and the arrival of Susbielles, who ran for president at the end of 2015 and was unanimously proclaimed with the presence of representatives of 23 federations.

On the sidewalk in front of Borro in the 2022 elections there were not only members of the Golden Generation.

“I am concerned about what is happening in the CABB. We cannot lose what has been achieved with so much effort. We continue on the same path. We wanted transparency and honesty, and we have found it! 100% support for this management by Federico Susbielles “, he assured On twitter Facundo Campazzohighlighting the “order” that the Bahiense had brought to the confederacy.

“Thanks to his experience and achievements on and off the field, he supported the transparency, seriousness and development that the CABB has today and I believe in continuity…”, he argued Nicolas Laprovittola.

“The players have expressed their opinion, they have every right to do so, and they have done so politely, with respect. We will propose that there is an open door from the home of Argentine basketball to all sectors,” he said. Borro, who relocated, toured the country and enlisted the support of 14 federations to rise to the presidency of the CAB.

the latest controversy

Dissatisfaction with his management has reappeared from what the chosen one has experienced over the past year. The arrival of García in September 2021, after the end of the contract of Sergio Hernández after the Tokyo Olympics, it was not very convincing. Without questioning Che’s credentials, many have pointed out that the CAB president prioritized his preference over the team’s wishes and needs. And at the end of the cycle he agreed with them.

After the CAB announced that García was leaving the team for “privacy reasons” days before the start of the AmeriCup, the campus environment spoke of a series of “events” and “unprofessional acts” by of the coach. Among these, inappropriate behavior in the hotel, in front of the players; the suspicion that many nights he left the concentration; the absence in training and also the unusual method chosen to lead the last game, which had created unease in the group.

The appointment of Prigioni as new DT and the consecration in that AmeriCup disputed in Brazil have done nothing but constitute a worrying present. And the defeat against the Dominican Republic – with García as DT (the Bahian signed with the Central American team less than a month after leaving the Argentine) – once again left Borro at the center of controversy.

Furthermore, the president of the CAB was repudiated at the Islas Malvinas sports center in Mar del Plata after the match. The players and coach, however, applauded the effort and delivery. A clear indication of people’s dissatisfaction with the current leadership.